Cairo is a botanist and biodiversity offsetting specialist who has been part of Niche’s NSW ecology consulting team for more than three years. Before working as a consultant, Cairo spent 8 years in biological and ecological research within university and private institutions. “Having sampled both consulting and research roles, I found that there’s a wider…
Matthew Richardson, Niche director and botanist, provides an update on the review… Background The Commonwealth Minister for the Environment appointed Professor Graeme Samuel AC to conduct the Independent Review of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) in October 2019. In June this year Professor Samuel delivered the interim report and its…
Niche Environment and Heritage Pty Ltd (Niche) are continuing to progress the Biodiversity Consultancy Services component of the NSW Wild Dog Fence Extension Project, with measures put in place to ensure the safety of local landholders, community members and staff. The project, which was a key 2019 election commitment by the NSW Government, will see the NSW Border Wild Dog Fence…
The Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) have awarded Niche Environment and Heritage Pty Ltd (Niche) the Inland Rail NSW Biodiversity Offset Site Identification Program. The award of this multi-million dollar works package will result in the Niche biodiversity team working alongside ARTC’s team for several years to identify and assess sites across NSW that may…
Niche Environment and Heritage (Niche) in June 2020 executed a formal Agreement to support the Australian Department of Defence as a member of the Defence Infrastructure Panel – Environment, Heritage and Engineering Services 2020-2025 (DIP.EHE) for an initial five year term. As one of Australia’s largest land managers, Defence is responsible for the management of a large, complex, and diverse estate that has…
In November last year, the NSW Government released the Spot Price Index1 for biodiversity credits created using the BioBanking Assessment Methodology under the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 (TSC Act). Whilst this act has now been replaced by the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 (BC Act) and the assessment of biodiversity offsets is now determined…
The NSW EPBC Act1 Bilateral Agreement was amended on March 24, 2020 (Amending Agreement No. 1) as a result of both the NSW and Australian Governments’ commitment to: Streamlining environmental assessments and offsets for projects in NSW and Reducing the regulatory burden on proponents of projects in NSW. The amendment has been anticipated for some…
The recent fires across NSW have created challenges for assessors quantifying the impacts of developments on burnt bushland and valuing potential Biodiversity Stewardship Sites. Ecologist and Accredited BAM Assessor Dr Cairo Forrest summarises key points from the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment (DPIE)’s recently released guidelines for applying the Biodiversity Assessment Methodology (BAM) at…
At Niche, we are experienced in creating information sessions that are individually tailored to the unique natural environment, heritage and history of the areas in which our clients operate. Programs for NSW councils Information sessions can be tailored to suit council staff and contractors who need to have an awareness of your local biodiversity and…
Yogesh is an ecologist specialising in bush regeneration, revegetation and ecological rehabilitation. He has more than ten years’ experience in monitoring, management and planning for bushland restoration projects in the Sydney metropolitan area and across NSW. Yogesh joined Niche’s multidisciplinary consulting team in August 2019. He is based at our Sydney head office, with frequent…
Our North Coast NSW team provided both heritage management and ecological services during approval and compliance stages of this project. This included an Aboriginal cultural heritage assessment; flora and fauna assessment; vegetation management plan; fauna management plan; nest box installation and monitoring; clearing surveys – and a Koala Habitat Management Plan (KHMP). The KHMP led…
Niche’s multidisciplinary team has the experience and expertise to deliver high quality, specialist services to support road infrastructure projects across NSW. Our flagship projects in this sector include: OH2K and F2E: Lead environmental consultant M1 Pacific Highway Motorway Productivity Package: Ecology, Aboriginal and historical heritage Hunter Expressway Environmental Advice: Project ecologist throughout project planning, design…